Arrival
by Maesyn
Summary: Set after End of the Circle. The arrival of a mysterious signal from deep space will set in motion events that will shape the fate of the galaxy. Whether it is a dark harbinger of things to come remains to be seen. What is certain is that the revelations it brings will change everything.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Robotech; wish I did, but I don't. Harmony Gold does.

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Cpl. David Hammond yawned as he leaned against the counter in the staff break room. The only sounds in the room were the din of fluorescent lights and coffee being brewed. Glancing to his right he sighed as the last ounces of fresh brewed coffee dripped through the filter. Pushing himself off of the counter he rubbed his eyes before grabbing his mug and filling it. After placing the glass pot back he turned away from the counter in time to see his CO enter the break room. Stifling another yawn he gave Lt. Dawson a nod, slightly raising his mug in greeting to the young officer before exiting the break room.

Back in the signal processing control room he allowed his eyes to adjust to the low light. Glancing around he observed a handful of analysts at their stations; some lazily typing away in front of their terminals, others with hands pressed to headphones. Glancing up he allowed himself a moment to stare at Fantoma looming large through the permaglass ceiling, surrounded by a sea of stars in the night sky. Even now, nearly six months into his deployment, the sight was still impressive. _At least I've got one hell of a view_, he told himself.

Finally back at his station David placed his mug of coffee on the desk before dropping himself into the ergonomic chair. Picking up his mug again he took a drink, grimacing at the taste as he cursed under his breath. "Go figure, we get stationed on the other side of the galaxy and the coffee's still shit," a familiar voice came from his left. Swiveling his chair he took another sip of coffee as he grinned at the analyst stationed next to him.

"Pretty sure this isn't coffee man," he snorted. "More like mud than coffee."

"So Tirolian mud tastes just like shit," Steve retorted as David was taking another sip from his mug, nearly causing him to spit out his coffee. Shaking his head he flipped Steve off before swiveling his chair back to the right to face his terminal.

Logging in he stared at the queue of reports awaiting his inspection. Scanning the list for anything that would break up the monotony of standard noise flooding the comm net, he finally settled on one that had been picked up by the long range sensors. The display immediately updated with a plethora of information. Grabbing and placing the nearby headphones over his ears he clicked the play button. His eyes immediately narrowed as the recording began. As the sample continued to play he studied the waveform of the strange signal in front of him. He then fired up a comparison tool, allowing the servers to go to work analyzing and comparing the sample against others in the archive. Closing the sample he returned to the queue.

Several uneventful hours later and nearing the end of his shift David was in the process of closing out his station when a notification popped up at the bottom right of the display, informing him that a job he had scheduled was now complete. _Of course it waits till I'm done with my shift_, he told himself. Sighing he clicked on the notification, allowing the results of the analysis to be displayed. His eyebrows rose as he read and re-read the information on screen. Leaning back in his chair he wondered aloud, "The hell do you mean 'no known correlation'?" He looked over at Steve, also now in the process of closing out his shift.

"Steve, come take a look at this," he called over to the analyst.

Steve wheeled his chair over to David's station. "What?" Steve asked, obviously anxious to be done with his shift.

"Check this out," David told him, handing Steve an extra pair of headphones which his colleague reluctantly accepted before placing them over his ears. David slipped his own noise cancelling headphones on as he initiated playback of the mysterious signal. Steve raised an eyebrow in confusion before leaning back in his chair with his head cocked to the side.

As the recording finished playing both analysts slipped their headphones off. Steve rubbed his chin as he stared at the signal waveform on the display in front of them. "That's weird man, never heard anything like it. What's the comp say?" Instead of replying David pointed to the analysis report on the right side of the display. Steve's eyes narrowed as he read the report. "Huh?"

"I know right? I think the tools messed up," David responded, scratching the back of his neck as both analysts searched for answers on the display in front of them.

"Where the hell did the array pick this thing up?" Steve finally asked.

David suddenly realized he hadn't actually checked yet. He clicked through the initial report, accessing the section that provided the origination data of the signal. Both analysts looked from the screen to each other and back at the screen. "Dave, get the LT."

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><p>The loud ringing of a phone roused Lisa from her slumber. She groaned and rolled onto her side to stare at the clock on the nightstand; it read 0210. She felt her husband stir next to her, cursing at whoever was calling in the middle of the night. Reaching for the phone he barked into the receiver, "Admiral Hunter." She couldn't quite make out what the caller was saying and was left with only her husband's annoyed voice to fill the silence in the bedroom.<p>

"Right...ok, when? Got it," he finished the conversation, attempting to place the receiver back on the cradle but failing. He cursed under his breath, finally managing to properly seat the phone before swinging his legs off the side of the bed and stretching. Lisa rolled onto her left side to face him as he stood up.

"What was that about?" she asked, not at all happy to have been awoken in the middle of the night.

"Emergency Council meeting, evidently our presence has been requested," he mumbled through the shirt being pulled over his head.


	2. Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own Robotech; wish I did, but I don't. Harmony Gold does.

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><p><strong>Reunion<strong>

_There isn't a day that goes by that I don't remember the men and women I served alongside aboard the SDF-1. Those men and women were the real heroes of the First Robotech War, not me. The real heroes are still out there, buried in space, or in the dark waters of Earth's oceans, or Macross' grave. They answered the call to duty, like so many of us, and gave their lives willing so that others could live. Losing friends and comrades is something that always stays with you, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Because, and I know this honestly sounds crazy, sometimes I feel like if I don't stop remembering them they're never truly dead._

_ - New Chicago Tribune interview with SDF-1 AIRR crew chief Samuel Brocker_

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><p>They lightly jostled in their seats as the shuttle began to taxi down the runway. "Don't even say it," Lisa Hunter told her husband.<p>

Rick looked back at her with a grin and shrugged his shoulders. "What?"

Lisa narrowed her eyes at him, "You know very well 'what'. Just because you think you're a better pilot doesn't mean you should be flying the shuttle."

With a look of mock hurt he replied, "Think?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, a faint smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Ok, just because you _are_ a better pilot still doesn't mean you should be flying the shuttle," she corrected herself, crossing her arms and waiting for a response.

After a few moments he replied, "Rather be back here anyways, view's better," signature cocky grin plastered across his face. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips, involuntarily reaching up with a hand to cover her mouth.

"You're not too bad on the eyes either, Hunter," she told him through a sly smile.

She suddenly felt her stomach sink as the shuttle lifted off, watching Rick as he turned to look out the window next to them. Turning back he folded his arms across his chest as he stretched his long legs out before him, crossing them at his boots. They sat for a few minutes in comfortable silence, occasionally smiling at one another in between glances at the clouds flying past them through the window.

Reaching down beside her Lisa rummaged through her carryon, producing an old paperback book. She shifted in her seat in an attempt to get more comfortable before opening the worn novel. She studied the faded ticket stub she used as a bookmark; a keepsake from their first 'official' date, she was thankful it had survived the journey all these years. She smiled at the memory as she placed it affectionately on the empty seat to her right before turning her attention back to the book.

The sound of his voice broke her reverie. "Any idea if Max and Miriya are gonna be at this shindig?"

She peeked over the top of her book before responding, "You do realize you know more about this meeting than I do, right?"

"For once," he chuckled. "Vince didn't give a heads up either way."

She nodded in understanding, resting the book gently on her lap before casually tucking a loose strand of light brown hair behind her right ear. She was still flustered from earlier that morning; they had packed in a rush with barely enough time to drop Roy off with Jean before catching the shuttle. And on top of being woken in the middle of the night, the lack of information as to the reason for the urgency of the meeting was unsettling to say the least.

Glancing out the window Lisa watched as the shuttle transitioned seamlessly from Earth's atmosphere into space. Turning back to look at her husband she couldn't help but shake her head. Fingers laced together on his lap and chin resting on his chest, he had already managed to fall asleep. She could never understand how sleep came to him so easily. Letting out a contented sigh she returned to her book.

Some twenty minutes later the shuttle pilot announced, "Admirals, we'll be arriving at Liberty in a few minutes." Grabbing the ticket stub Lisa inserted it back into the book before placing it in her carryon. She looked over at Rick who was still slouched down in his seat. She gently nudged him awake with one of her knee-high leather boots, nodding towards the sight of Space Station Liberty quickly approaching in response to his questioning look.

Leaning forward he raised his arms above his head to stretch while yawning. Rick turned to look out the viewport, scanning the myriad of ships docked at the station. Liberty was busy as usual, filled to the brim with vessels of varying sizes making the journey to and from Tirol and various other colonies, outposts and space stations now littered across the galaxy. Thanks to the new pseudojaunt drives space folds had become routine and their near instantaneous travel times had done much to solidify the relationship between Earth, Tirol and the Local Group worlds.

What had started as an informal alliance had quickly grown over the past decade into a formal federation of planets. To say that the crew of the SDF-3 were still adjusting to life in this new age, finally returning to Earthspace some ten years after setting out from Tirol, was an understatement to be sure. Even now, nearly eight months later, the Hunters were still in the process of playing catch-up; both feeling very much overwhelmed with the ongoing transition from admirals in the now defunct REF to officers of the reconstituted RDF.

They had both discussed at length whether to accept the commissions that had been offered to them by the Interworld Council. The prospect of an early retirement that would have afforded her more time to spend with Roy was certainly tempting. Not to say that Rick wasn't conflicted as well; he had explained to her that he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his days in peace with his family. Yet in the end their sense of duty to protect those around them had won out.

Rick stood as the shuttle finished attaching to the docking port alongside the station, offering Lisa his hand. She accepted, allowing herself to be pulled up by her husband's strong grip. The clicking and hissing ceased as the docking umbilical was finally sealed and the pressure within the shuttle paired to that of the station. They shared a quick kiss before grabbing their bags and making their way to the front of the cabin.

* * *

><p>Vince Grant lightly tossed the report he had been studying onto his desk and let out a loud sigh; rubbing his tired eyes he wondered if the mountain of paperwork would ever end. He let his gaze drift around the spacious office; numerous family photos sat on the broad oak desk, an assortment of knickknacks picked up during his time in the service adorned the interior, and a permaglass window ran the length of the outer wall, providing him with an exceptional view of ships as they arrived from Tirol.<p>

Leaning forward in his chair Vince returned to the report in front of him, but try as he might he couldn't seem to concentrate; his mind continued to replay the cryptic conversation with Councilor Sterling, searching for answers he knew weren't there. He looked up as a soft knock came at the door to his office. "Enter," he told the visitor. The door swung open quickly and his aide entered the room.

The middle-aged sergeant closed the distance between them to stand at ease in front of Vince's desk. "Sir, the Admiral's shuttle has arrived from Earth," the aide informed his superior.

Vince nodded and pushed himself up from behind the desk. "Good, good. Tell Captain Hara to prepare for departure."

"Yes sir." The Brit snapped him a crisp salute before turning and hurriedly leaving the room. Vince followed, grabbing his blue winter overcoat from the coat rack next to the door before exiting his office. He closed the door and turned to the left, heading towards the Planetside Concourse.

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><p>Rick watched as his wife placed her right hand gently against the translucent viewport, her thin athletic frame silhouetted against the brilliant display of Earth visible through the permaglass visage of Liberty's Planetside Concourse. He had observed this ritual several times; whenever they traveled without Roy she would stop and stare at Earth as if she would somehow catch a glimpse of him before leaving Sol.<p>

He walked up to her from behind and dropped the bag slung over his shoulder onto the ground. Placing his arms around her waist he gently pulled her back against him. In response she placed her own arms on his and tilted her head back to rest against his chest. "Hey, we're only gonna be gone for a day, maybe two. He'll be fine, you know he loves staying with Jean," he told her, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

Lisa sighed and slowly nodded her head. "I know, I know. Doesn't make it any easier."

He hummed his response, nodding in understanding as he took in the view of Earth with her. They both traveled quite frequently, but rarely did it involve both of them at the same time. So on those rare occasions Roy would stay with one of their close friends, and much to their chagrin their son quite rather enjoyed his time away from mom and dad.

"Besides, kind of nice to have you all to myself for once," he whispered, trying to lighten the mood.

His wife let out a small mischievous laugh, "Still haven't gotten enough of me after all these years, Hunter?"

"No ma'am," he replied, placing a kiss on her neck just below the ear.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Rick to slightly turn his head, glancing over his shoulder to find Vince Grant looking awkwardly at the two of them. Rick chuckled, still holding on to Lisa as he acknowledged their friend's presence. "Vince, you sure know how to kill the mood don't you?"

"Frankly sir, you do an excellent job of that all by yourself," Vince retorted. Lisa moved out of her husband's embrace as Rick turned fully towards his friend. A few moments passed as both men sized each other up before they burst into laughter and clasped hands. Vince then nodded in greeting towards Lisa who returned his gesture with a warm smile.

Rick returned to Lisa, grabbing his bag from the ground and slinging it over his shoulder as she did the same. Vince motioned for them to follow and began to walk towards the southern end of the terminal. The Hunters caught up with him, Rick falling in beside the bulkier man with Lisa to his right.

"Sorry to make this little visit brief. I've arranged for you to travel with Captain Hara aboard the _Tiber_ and you know how impatient she can be to get underway before a jump," Vince spoke as the three made their way through Liberty, weaving in and out of the throng of passengers congregating within the corridors of the space station.

"So, what are we getting ourselves into here Vince," Rick asked, ignoring his friend's banter.

"Honestly Rick, I'm not sure. Councilor Sterling wouldn't say, just that she wanted the both of you there," Vince responded truthfully. Rick looked over at Lisa who shook her head, still very much annoyed at being kept in the dark.

"Aurora didn't mention any reason at all for the urgency, or all this secrecy?" Lisa asked from beside Rick, her frustration clearly audible.

"Unfortunately no, she said she couldn't divulge the reason for the meeting. Believe me, I tried," Vince answered, his own frustration coming through.

They continued through the long corridor that connected the central atrium to the Tirolian Concourse. Rick turned his head from side to side as he took in the sights of numerous shuttles and starships passing the observation windows. He marveled at just how much Liberty had changed over the years; hardly any trace remained of its old structure or layout as a Zentraedi factory. So much so that Lisa had remarked at how surreal the experience had been during their first trip back to Tirol.

Arriving at the Tirolian Concourse Vince led them to the eastern side of the terminal towards the gate that provided access to where the _Tiber_ was currently docked. Vince stopped just outside the umbilical door that lead to the ship.

"Well, this is where I leave you. Captain Hara should be ready to push off once the two of you are aboard. Give my regards to the Sterlings," he told the Hunters, accepting the hand that Rick offered, shaking it vigorously. He then embraced Lisa, who had become somewhat of a surrogate sister to him over the years. As they parted he gave them a salute before turning and making his way back through the Concourse.

The couple turned towards the umbilical door, Lisa opening it and allowing her husband to move into the tunnel before she entered. They quickly made their way to the other side of the docking umbilical and boarded the _Tiber_, returning the salutes of several personnel awaiting their arrival. A young ensign then lead them to their seats in the passenger cabin of the vessel.

Finally seated and bags stowed, Rick watched through the window beside them as the ship undocked from the space station and began to pull away. After several minutes the voice of their Garudan captain announced, "All hands, prepare for immediate fold." Rick shifted nervously in his seat as he tried to prepare himself for the disorientation that always accompanied a jump. A few moments later he felt the world around him slow down as the _Tiber_ entered hyperspace.


	3. Atlas

Disclaimer: I do not own Robotech; wish I did, but I don't. Harmony Gold does.

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><p><strong>Atlas<strong>

_The others are infatuated with the prospect that sentient life exists somewhere out in the dark corners of space and that the Signal is proof. But if history has taught us anything it is that we should be guarded against this discovery, for we do not yet know if it is friend or foe._

_ - The Journal of Dr. Harold Penn_

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><p>Rick shivered and pulled his cadet grey trench coat tighter against his body. He sniffled and watched his breath in the frigid air as he walked with Lisa towards the Great Hall in downtown Tiresia. The capital had changed considerably over the years since they had called it home; the city, finally healed from the wounds of war, had evolved into quite the sprawling intergalactic metropolis and the district around the Great Hall had seen the construction of numerous businesses, consulates, and upscale housing for the Tiresian elite. In many regards Tiresia was now a strange mixture of Greco-Roman architecture interspersed among the high-tech facades one would have found in neo Tokyo before the First Robotech War.<p>

As they walked under a high-speed rail overpass he quickly glanced over at his wife; RDF standard issue all-weather trench coat wrapped tightly around her lithe figure, her long hair whipped behind her in the wind from underneath her white admiral's cap. Her business-like gaze was fixed straight ahead toward the Great Hall that stood watch over the skyscrapers and buildings that surrounded them.

"Damn it's cold," he said to himself. Lisa gave him a questioning look, the sounds of the city making it difficult to hear. He let out another visible breath in response, "Said its damn cold. Forgot how much I hated winter here." She nodded in understanding and let out an icy breath of her own, fighting with her hair as the wind blew it in front of her face.

Even as much as Rick hated the cold winters on Tirol, Tiresia had become something of a second home for the nomadic couple; Roy had been born and raised here, and the majority of their friends lived and worked either within the city or in one of the myriad of bases or stations nearby. They had initially decided to settle on Earth, yet over the past few months they had openly discussed the possibility of returning to Tirol. It was a strange feeling he had told her to not feel at home anywhere anymore; a stranger in a strange land as it were.

They continued at a brisk pace down the congested streets, weaving in and out of the throng of people along the sidewalk. The admirals returned salutes from the occasional RDF personnel as they passed, and several times were stopped by acquaintances eager to catch up, though Lisa cut the reunions short in order to meet their appointment with the Interworld Council. Finally arriving at the grand pyramid-like structure they made their way across the courtyard and up the flights of stone steps before entering through the large open doors.

Rick flashed his RDF ID badge to the MP at the security checkpoint just inside the Great Hall, casually returning the soldier's crisp salute. He waited on the other side of the checkpoint for Lisa, turning down a hallway to the right of the entryway as she rejoined him. Numerous pictures and paintings of various cultural and racial origins decorated the walls, the marble floor and high ceilings causing their boots to echo loudly.

They stopped in front of a pair of tall wooden doors halfway down the hallway, brandishing their badges once again for the MP guarding the assembly hall where the Interworld Council often held security-related meetings. The MP pulled out a datapad and verified their credentials before stepping aside, pulling the right-hand door open for them. Rick allowed Lisa to enter ahead of him, nodding in thanks to the MP before stepping inside the room.

The assembly hall was windowless and sparsely decorated; a large wooden oval table dominated the floor space in the room and a large vidscreen occupied the northern wall. Rick immediately located Max and Miriya sitting at the eastern side of the table. He placed his hand on the small of Lisa's back and motioned towards the Sterlings.

"Save me a seat, I'm going to talk to Gunther and see if I can't get any details out of him," she told him before heading over to where General Reinhardt was seated on the western side of the table, surrounded by an assortment of RDF brass. Rick watched her for a moment before turning away and heading over to where the Sterlings were seated. They looked up as he tossed his black rimmed admiral's cap on the table in front of an empty seat to Max's left.

"Well look who finally decided to show up. Hey boss," Max joked, adjusting his glasses with an index finger. Rick chuckled and shrugged out of his coat, draping it across the back of the brown leather chair before slapping Max on the back and sliding into the comfortable seat.

"Good to see you too old timer," Rick quipped with a grin on his face. He then nodded at Miriya who returned his greeting with a broad smile. "Still keeping him in line for me?" he asked her.

The Zentraedi rolled her eyes at him. "Hardly, especially now that you're here," she replied. "But still, it is good to see you again Hunter," she smirked, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair.

Rick couldn't help but laugh, happy to be back amongst what he considered his family. Leaning closer to Max he motioned for Miriya to huddle up and whispered, "Ok, so what the hell is going on? You two have to know something." He stared at the pair, waiting for a response. After a few moments Max readjusted his glasses again and looked back to his wife, giving her a questioning look before returning his attention back to Rick.

"We don't know, honest. Aurora wouldn't say, just that something big was going down and wanted us to be here," Max finally responded, Miriya nodding her head in agreement. Rick looked back and forth between the pair, finally accepting that they were telling the truth he leaned back in his seat and began to look around the room. He immediately recognized several members from the Robotech Research Group; Lang and Penn were seated at the northern end of the table with a nervous looking Louie Nichols between them.

Rick leaned back towards Max and motioned towards the scientists. "Looks like we're in for a magic show," he whispered. Max laughed loudly, drawing the attention of several attendees from around the room who stared at them; he shrugged his shoulders innocently at an inquisitive Miriya as she tried to decipher what had been so funny.

"They're at it again, aren't they?" came Lisa's voice from behind the trio. Rick turned in his chair to see his wife join them.

"Surprised?" Miriya answered with a wry smile.

"Hardly," Lisa laughed, leaning down to give Miriya a sisterly hug before removing her coat and taking a seat next to her friend.

"Anything out of Gunther?" Rick called down the table, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No," Lisa shook her head. "They're none too happy about it either," she motioned towards the assorted RDF brass seated across from them. "What about you two? Surely Aurora told you," she looked to her friends for some answers.

"We tried, but she refused to say anything. We were just telling Rick the only thing we could get out of her was that the meeting was of great importance," Miriya answered. Lisa let out an exasperated sigh and placed her admiral's cap in front of her and moved her chair closer to Miriya's. The two began talking in earnest while they waited for the rest of the attendees to arrive.

Several minutes passed as a few more personnel filed in, followed by the last of the Councilors who took his place next to Aurora at the southern end of the table. The din of conversations began to taper off and die as the meeting was called to order by Councilor Novius. The aging Tirolian stood up from his seat with great effort and cleared his throat, commanding the attention of those in the room.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began, clasping his hands in front of his white and gold robes. "I regret the need for secrecy as to the subject of this meeting, but as you soon will see, it was indeed necessary. Now, Dr. Nichols if you would, please proceed," Novius announced, turning the floor over to the young scientist.

The red-haired Louie Nichols stood up from his seat and engaged the vidscreen as the lights in the room were dimmed. Several charts and diagrams appeared on the vidscreen, including what appeared to be a three-dimensional display of a sound wave. "Thank you," Louie began. "Approximately one week ago this signal was received by the Tirol Comms Array," he continued as he reached down and clicked a few buttons on the datapad resting in front of him on the table.

The room immediately filled with a strange oscillating sound as the vidscreen began to animate the waveform. Rick narrowed his eyes, trying to concentrate as the noise reverberated around the room. He hadn't heard anything like it before, yet it was also strangely familiar; he could have sworn it sounded like a fetal heartbeat, yet it was less repetitive. Louie continued to let the signal play for another minute before switching off the recording, an eerie silence settling over the room.

"After performing extensive analysis on the signal, we have discovered numerous interesting properties about it. First, it is periodic and repeats every five seconds, though within the signal it appears to repeat portions with varying freq—"

"Son, please tell me you didn't drag us all the way out here just so we could listen to some white noise picked up by the comm net," interrupted one of the RDF generals. Rick looked angrily over at General Baldwin Richards who was leaning forward in his chair with arms crossed on the table. A holdover from the Southern Cross the man wasn't shy when it came to making his opinions known.

"Please General Richards, allow Dr. Nichols to speak," Councilor Novius implored, motioning for Louie to continue with his presentation.

By this time Louie looked beyond nervous, clearly out of his element in front of the senior RDF leadership. He glanced over at a still perturbed Richards before returning to his slides.

"Right, umm, as you can see here," he continued, using his datapad to highlight a portion of the waveform on the vidscreen for them, "there is a great deal of asymmetry within the signal, though there are portions that are repetitious. Taking these factors into account, along with the complexity of the signal and the precision with which it is repeated, we have come to the conclusion that it is most likely synthetic," he explained. "In fact, we have been unable to match its signature to any other on record."

Rick raised his eyebrows in surprise and shared a knowing look of concern with Lisa. His mind was reeling from the overload of information. Turning his attention back to the vidscreen he heard Lisa ask, "And where precisely did this signal come from?"

"Sorry, was getting to that ma'am," Louie apologized. Fumbling with the datapad he advanced past several more slides until the vidscreen displayed a star chart for a system Rick did not recognize. The origin of the signal was identified near the edge of the system, on what appeared to be a small planetary object labeled 'M31A-1'. "The signal appears to have originated from a small planetary body roughly the size of Luna on the outer ring of the Atlas system."

"And just where is this system located, out past the frontier?" a still annoyed Richards grumbled, once again interrupting the presentation.

Louie looked to Emil who nodded for him to continue. The young scientist cleared his throat and waited till he had everyone's undivided attention.

"No, sir. Atlas is located in the Andromeda Galaxy."


	4. Decisions

Disclaimer: I do not own Robotech; wish I did, but I don't. Harmony Gold does.

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><p><strong>Decisions<strong>

_I have to give Dr. Nichols credit. His presentation, though far from flawless, has convinced the RDF and the Council to authorize our expedition. I could see the shock on the boy's face when I informed him he would be leading it. There is a small part of me that is sad I am not going, but I think it is finally time for me to stay put. Besides, I have research here that needs my attention. _

_- Journal of Emil Lang, PhD._

* * *

><p>Rick closed the door behind him and scanned the spacious hotel suite, taking in the decidedly upscale accommodations. He grabbed the ends of the sweaty towel draped around his neck and walked into the bedroom through the open French doors. Leaning against the doorframe he watched Lisa apply makeup at the large vanity next to the bed; she was humming a song to herself, occasionally singing a verse though the words were barely audible from where he stood.<p>

"How was your workout?" she asked without turning to look at him.

"Not bad. Probably should grab a shower before we head out," he replied nonchalantly.

They had agreed to meet up with Max and Miriya for dinner and drinks; something he was very much looking forward to after the taxing Council meeting earlier that day. He glanced down at his watch to see just how much time he had left to get ready. Looking back up he saw Lisa stand from the vanity wrapped only in a white towel and couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. She padded across the lush beige carpet to greet him, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips before moving to the mahogany armoire where she had unpacked their clothes earlier in the day. Reluctantly he turned away from his wife and headed into the en suite.

Once inside the spacious bathroom he pulled the glass door to the shower open and turned the water on. Quickly discarding his clothes he jumped in and pulled the shower door closed. He placed his hands against the smooth granite wall underneath the showerhead and closed his eyes, allowing his aching muscles some relief under the hot water. Yet try as he might, he couldn't seem to relax his mind; he couldn't help shake the feeling of déjà vu that had settled over him like a cloud.

The Council meeting had provoked numerous questions, with very few answers available to them. Emil's group was hell-bent on an expedition to the far reaches of another galaxy, and here he was volunteering for it. Truth be told he wasn't exactly sure why he'd agreed to go along; his relationship with Lisa was more passionate than it had ever been, and he wouldn't willingly leave Roy for such an extended period of time. And yet he had made the decision to do so anyways.

_Councilor Novius stood before them, arms folded into his robes, and cleared his throat loudly. Rick watched as the old Tirolian commanded the room; always impressed with the statesman's ability to silence even the most egomaniacal RDF officer or politician._

"_Dr. Lang has asked that an expedition be organized to seek out and ascertain the origins of this Signal. After much deliberation, we have agreed to this request," Novius paused, allowing the information to sink in. "Due to the nature of this expedition and the risks involved, Dr. Lang has also asked that military personnel accompany his scientists." Rick watched others around the room voice their agreement with the Council's decision._

"_Are we really going to devote resources to this dog and pony show? We're already stretched thin as it is protecting the border colonies," General Richards chided._

"_We only require a small attachment General, a single vessel with enough military personnel to man her," Emil shot back without hiding his disdain for the officer._

"_General Richards, we understand your position. The defense of the border colonies shall not be abandoned. A small attachment, as Dr. Lang put it, shall be sufficient. We ask for nothing more," Novius explained. Rick watched as the aging Councilor and former Southern Cross officer tensely stared at one another. _

"_So who will be heading up this expedition?" one of the RDF admirals asked, looking to several of her peers seated around her. No one responded, and a heavy silence filled the room. Rick wasn't surprised no one was jumping at the chance to chase a theory across deep space, given all of the risks associated with the mission._

"_I will," he heard someone call out, breaking the silence in the room. He looked around, trying to figure out who had volunteered. He suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him. He dared a quick glance over to Lisa; her eyebrows were raised and her mouth was agape, and it suddenly hit him what he had done._

Rick allowed the memory to fade as he turned the water off, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a fresh towel. He dried himself off and wrapped the soft towel around his waist. Standing in front of the large mirror in the bathroom he stared at his reflection. "The hell are you getting yourself into Rick?" he asked himself aloud, his voice echoing in the spacious room.

"You're doing what you have to," he nearly jumped at the sound of Lisa's calm voice.

Hands resting against the countertop he shifted to see his wife's reflection in the mirror; she was standing in the entryway to the en suite, still wrapped in her own white towel. He found her emerald eyes with his own, holding her gaze as she stepped into the bathroom. He felt the tension in his shoulders ease as she wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her chin against his right shoulder. He continued to hold her gaze through the mirror, studying the features of her face.

Rick took Lisa's left hand in his own, squeezing it firmly, comforted by the warm smile she gave him. "Thanks, babe." he told her. Lisa stood on her tip toes, still leaning against him, and placed a soft kiss against his cheek.

"You know I'm always here for you. Now come on, we should get dressed or we'll be late," she replied, pulling away and leading him back into the bedroom.

* * *

><p>He listened to Carver give instructions to a runner as he double checked his gear; he was low on ammunition and evo-filters, not that supplies were abundant anymore. He gave his assault rifle a once over, making sure he could accurately see through the optical scope. The runner took off down the tunnel and Carver turned back to face him, a tired look on the old soldier's face. Carver walked up to him, giving his disheveled armor a once over.<p>

"You ready?" the older soldier asked with a gravelly voice. In response he picked up his obsidian colored helmet and pulled it on. Locking it in place he felt a rush of oxygen fill his lungs as the evo-filter kicked on.

"Ready," he replied; his voice metallic and distorted by the helmet's respirator.

Carver regarded him for a few moments before moving to the access portal at the mouth of the dingy tunnel. He followed, pulling the hood of his tattered grey cloak up on top of his helmet. Standing in front of the large circular portal he disengaged the safety on his assault rifle.

"You'll only have a few minutes before they're on you, so keep moving," Carver instructed. He nodded his understanding, trying to calm his nerves, steeling himself for what was to come. "Good luck, ranger," Carver solemnly told him, slamming his hand against the release switch.

The ranger readied his weapon as the circular portal wound open with the loud grating of rusty metal on metal, the darkness and howling wind of the surface greeting them like a hungry maw.


	5. Sentinels

Disclaimer: I do not own Robotech; wish I did, but I don't. Harmony Gold does.

* * *

><p><strong>Sentinels<strong>

_These kids are an interesting breed, I'll give them that They spent the first half of their lives under the Invid occupation and the second half in this new age of peace and optimism. They're young and reckless; though Karen loves to remind me I was just like them when I was their age (still am she tells me)._

_- Collected Journals of Captain Jack Baker_

* * *

><p>John Grimm readjusted the flight helmet cradled under his left arm as he took in the row of VFA-7X Vipers in front of him on the flight line. Brand new state of the art birds of war, they were the first generation of non protoculture-based variable fighters and they were a thing of beauty; sleek and smaller than previous iterations, the Vipers were built for speed and agility.<p>

He had flown several variants in the Academy, thought most were still in varying degrees of development. Their instructors hadn't exactly labeled them as prototypes, though most cadets would have sworn they were guinea pigs for the majority of flight school. To say the transition from protoculture-based veritechs had been rocky was an understatement. Yet in the end the Robotech Research Group wizards had prevailed and the end result was the Viper; outfitted with the latest in neural receptor technology the fighters practically mirrored the fine motor control and reaction time of their predecessors.

John turned his head to the right as his wingman let loose a low whistle. The young pilot had a huge grin plastered across his face as he stared at the fighters parked on the tarmac. "Well damn don't those birds look good," Jake Miller drawled, casually shifting the black flight helmet held between his hands.

John chucked and nodded in agreement with his wingman. "Definitely, heard from Trench he and Loki were pushing Mach 3 over Granite a few weeks back," he informed his overly enthusiastic wingman.

"At what, 30?" Jake asked.

"Think he said about 15 thousand," John answered, adjusting his flight helmet again.

"No shit, he say how they handled though?" the young pilot asked, hungry for more information about the capabilities of the new veritechs.

John understood his friend's desire for that information. They had learned over the last couple years that any number of RRG engineers could quote specs to them on the ground, only to be disappointed by the state of the neural response mechanics on the fighters once airborne. The previous iterations had felt sluggish, lagging in response time that lead to the feeling of an overly weighted down ship. He had once described it to a flight engineer that he felt like he was flying a cargo shuttle loaded with Fantoma rock when attempting a simple split-S.

"He said they were pretty tight, helluva lot better than the Widows," John replied, looking back at the fighters, anxious to get behind the stick of one.

He had been itching to do so since they had been informed the Vipers were headed to their squadron to replace the clunky VFA-7Ws. The irony of the Widowmaker name wasn't lost on the fleet either, given their subpar performance during some of the more intensive combat maneuvers the pilots often used when engaging space pirates.

"Better be bro, I'm really tired of flying commercial shuttles. I mean, I know you like to take things slow and all," Jake taunted.

John laughed out loud, a grin forming on his face. If that's how his friend wanted to play it, fine by him. He was hyper competitive, like so many others in his squadron, including Jake Miller.

"Well Nojo, there's only one thing left to do then," he fired back at Jake.

"Oh yeah Reaper, what's that?" Jake replied with an amused expression on his face, knowing full well what John was going to propose. The two had flown together in flight school and had been each other's wingman for the better part of four years; they were practically brothers, and knew each other better than anyone.

"Let's take these girls up for a spin so I can show you just how shitty of a jock you really are," John suggested, giving Jake a light shove in the left shoulder and starting to head towards the Vipers.

He had no more than taken a step towards the veritechs when he was stopped in his tracks at the sound of a woman clearing her throat. John turned over his shoulder to see a young female pilot walking towards them. It was their team lead, Maia Harper.

"So sorry to interrupt boys, but the Captain needs to see us," Maia informed them cheerfully.

"Now?" John asked, risking a glance back at the Vipers before refocusing his attention on Maia.

"Yes, now," she reconfirmed, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow in anticipation of a rebuttal though John remained silent. He had learned long ago that arguing with the half-Zentraedi, even when she was in a good mood, was useless. Unfortunately the pilot next to him had taken the bait.

"Like now, now?" Nojo prodded with a half smirk present on his face.

Maia narrowed her eyes before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Let's go," she grumbled, her southern accent more audible this time, muttering something about children as she spun on her heels.

John looked over at Nojo who just smiled and shrugged his broad shoulders as if to say he couldn't help it. The two pilots jogged to catch up with Maia who was quickly making her way towards the hanger closest to them. They entered the large hanger and made their way through a set of open double doors on the western side, skirting around countless vehicles and maintenance equipment used to service the veritechs.

As they rounded a corner into the hallway that lead to their squadron leader's office John asked, "So what'd we do this time Light?"

Maia smirked, "Like the two of you ever end up in trouble."

He chuckled and nudged Jake's shoulder, "Hear that Nojo? Told you she loves us."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Lightning is super into you," Jake jumped in. Maia's only response was a generous rolling of her hazel-blue eyes. "Though I can't for the life of me figure out why, considering you're the ugly one. Must be that Zentraedi blood, bro," Jake finished, slapping him on the back.

"You do realize I'm right here guys?" Maia chimed in; her voice filled with annoyance, though John knew her well enough to know the ribbing wasn't really bothering her. Still, the sharp elbow jab he received from her was a nice reminder that she could pack a punch if she needed to.

"Hey, the hell did you hit me for?" he asked, rubbing the left side of his sore rib cage.

Maia smiled sweetly at him, her voice filled with honey as she responded, "First, because you encourage him, and second, you were closer." Jake let loose a loud laugh, causing several staffers to poke their heads out of office doors along the corridor. All John could do was grin in defeat; she certainly had him there.

At the next intersection in the maze-like building they turned left, away from the direction of their CO's office. "Thought you said the Captain wanted to see us?" John jerked his thumb behind them in the direction they should have gone.

Maia nodded and motioned with her head in the direction they were currently going. "He does. All hands though." John nodded in understanding, and the trio continued on in silence until they stopped in front of a closed wooden door at the end of the hallway on their right. John pushed the door open and stepped into the well lit meeting room with Jake and Maia in tow.

The room was already packed with other pilots from his squadron. John surveyed the room and found a few open seats up front. He casually walked around the edge of the room, exchanging juvenile greetings with several of his squad mates.

A few minutes after they had settled in he heard the door to the meeting room open again. Suddenly the call to attention rang out loudly from the back of the room. He jumped out of his chair awkwardly, no longer accustomed to standing at attention; it had been a long time since a high-ranking officer had come to Archer Field. From out of the corner of his eye he glanced over at Maia and mouthed, "Who is it?" She responded by slightly shrugging her shoulders, letting him know she was just as much in the dark as he was.

A moment later he saw Captain Baker and an Admiral walk past. Once the pair had reached the front of the meeting room the Admiral turned and faced the pilots. John instantly recognized who it was, and the rest of the pilots had as well by the audible buzz of whispers taking over the room.

"At ease Skull," Admiral Hunter casually waved for them to sit as he tossed his cap on the table nearest to him. John sat back down, wondering why the Admiral had decided to pay them a visit. Admiral Hunter leaned over and whispered something to Captain Baker. The Captain nodded and said "Sure thing, be right back sir," before walking out of the room. John shifted slightly in his chair to watch as his CO left before turning back to give Admiral Hunter his attention.

"Well, from what Captain Baker tells me, you're the best there is," Admiral Hunter began as he surveyed the room. John noticed the Admiral briefly grin as the room erupted in approval, before his expression turned serious. "You better be, because as of this moment you've been reassigned to the _Odyssey_."

* * *

><p>Two sharp knocks on the door caused Karen Penn to look up from the mountain of paperwork collected on her desk. She let out an exasperated sigh, frustrated at yet another interruption to the least favorite part of her job. Another pirate attack, another pile of pilot paperwork that needed processed and turned into some kind of cohesive report for her superiors. She inwardly laughed at how thrilled she had been at the promotion to flight officer aboard the <em>Versailles<em>.

"What?" she annoyingly barked out in her most authoritative voice.

The door swung open and she cursed under her breath as Admiral Lisa Hunter walked into the room. _Great, just when my day can't get any worse, add shouting at an Admiral to the list!_ She quickly recovered and stood up sharply, her desk chair flying behind her and crashing loudly against the wall of her small office. She snapped Admiral Hunter a crisp salute, trying to ignore the bemused look on the older woman's face as she inspected the disheveled state of Karen's office.

Admiral Hunter returned her salute with a sharp one of her own before waving for her to sit down. Karen collected her chair from the wall and wheeled it back to her desk before sitting down and attempting to organize the haphazard pile of reports.

"Sorry ma'am. Didn't realize—" Karen began before Admiral Hunter cut her off.

"It's good to see you again too Karen. I apologize for interrupting your work. I still have nightmares about after action reports," Lisa motioned to the scattered piles of reports and gave her a sympathetic smile. Karen returned her gesture with a light smile and let out a breath that she hadn't realize she had been holding since Lisa had entered the room.

"How the hell did you manage all of this paperwork on the SDF-1 ma'am?"

Lisa smirked and shook her head; lost in a memory for a moment from what Karen could tell. "Patience, and a lot of coffee," she finally replied.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my job, I just…didn't think I was signing up for this," she waved her hands over the mess on top of her desk, letting out another exasperated sigh.

Lisa didn't respond, causing Karen to follow her gaze out the window to a set of veritechs taking off in the distance. Upon further inspection she noticed Lisa's eyes looked tired, like she hadn't slept in days. Karen decided something was definitely up. _Trouble in paradise maybe?_

"Is everything OK ma'am?" she asked, feeling compelled to say what was on her mind.

"What? Sorry…yes, well, sort of. Actually that's why I'm here Karen."

_Bingo, wonder what the Admiral did this time?_

"Rick?"

Lisa gave her a peculiar expression, evidently not expecting Karen to jump to that sort of conclusion. "No no, not this time," Lisa waved a dismissive hand. She recovered a moment later and elaborated. "It's Roy, actually. Rick and I are going to be on extended assignment and well, I'm not overly thrilled about leaving my boy behind," she explained. Karen nodded in understanding, well aware of how close mother and son were.

"I'm sure it'll be alright. Though I hope you're not asking me to babysit…me and kids, well, we don't exactly mix."

Lisa chuckled and shook her head. "Karen, I love you, but I'm not letting you or Baker anywhere near my very influential child." Karen smirked at Lisa's response, bobbing her head in understanding. She and Jack weren't exactly the type of couple an Admiral would want around their child for too long, though she was sure they weren't any worse than Rick had been at their age.

"So what can I do for you ma'am?"

"Guess I better get to it then," Lisa began. "I'm here to inform you that you've been reassigned to the _Odyssey_."

Karen's stomach sank and she sat back in her chair. _Why the hell am I being demoted to a scout ship?_ She was the flight officer for an entire fighter wing aboard a carrier, not a rinky-dink scout vessel that could barely hold a squadron of veritechs.

"With all due respect ma'am, why the hell would you reassign me? I'd like to know exactly what I did to—" she shot off, unable to control her temper.

"I'm not demoting you, Captain," Lisa interrupted. "Quite the opposite, in fact." Karen gave Lisa a confused look, not sure what was happening. Lisa continued, "You see, the _Odyssey_ needs a captain. So, we've chosen you."

Karen was floored. "I don't think I heard you right ma'am, did you just give me my own command?" she managed to ask, still in shock over the change in direction her day had taken.

"You heard correctly," Lisa answered, tossing her a small black velvet box which she barely managed to catch. She ran her fingers over the smooth exterior before snapping the box open to reveal a pair of golden oak leaves inside. Looking back up she was happy to see Lisa beaming proudly at her.

"Major, Admiral Hunter and I need people we can trust and rely on. And given the nature of this expedition, we felt it was right in your wheel house."

Karen raised her eyebrows, wondering why Lisa was being so cryptic. "And just what kind of expedition are we talking about?"

Lisa stared at her intensely for a few moments before leaning forward. "The kind where we jump to somewhere we've never been before."

"You mean a deep space jump, like out past the frontier?" Karen asked, her interest piqued by the prospect of an expedition to an uncharted system.

Lisa chuckled and shook her head from side to side. "Try the next galaxy over."


	6. Firefly

Disclaimer: I do not own Robotech; wish I did, but I don't. Harmony Gold does.

* * *

><p><strong>Firefly<strong>

_One can only conjecture what it will actually be like when we get to Andromeda. I for one am overly excited at the prospect of discovery and learning a new galaxy presents. Let's just hope that all our scientific theories hold true when we arrive. It would truly be a shame if up was no longer up, but down._

_- RDF Expedition logs of SIGINT analyst Meril Bertrand_

* * *

><p>"But mom, why can't I go with you?" Rick heard his son whine from across the living room of the Sterlings' spacious Tiresian apartment. He caught the pair out of the corner of his eye; his wife kneeling down before their son with one of her hands on Roy's right arm and the other brushing away several tears that had fallen down her cheek. Rick felt a pang of sorrow creep through him, but managed to keep his emotions in check. He knew the best thing for their son was to remain here on Tirol in the care of his godparents.<p>

Still, he couldn't help but fixate on the fact that he might be seeing his family together for the last time. He knew the very real risks involved with inter-galactic travel, coupled with the uncertainty of what they were hunting once they reached Andromeda. He tried pushing the thoughts aside, and focused on the image of his wife and son together.

Rick turned back to look at the Sterlings. "I know it's only for a few months. Honestly, I don't know how you two lived through leaving Dana behind," he mused aloud. He thought he saw a haunted look in Max's eyes for a split second, as if his friend was reliving that fateful day over again. "Sorry, didn't mean…" he trailed off, looking from his friends back to his wife and child.

"It's ok, Rick," he heard Miriya reassure him, a hint of sadness in her voice. It wasn't very often that she used his first name; it helped to further drive home the realness of the situation. He had been so preoccupied with preparing for the mission that he hadn't had much time to think about the inevitable separation from his son. And now it was here, much faster than he would like.

He once again turned to regard his friends. Max extended his hand which Rick gladly clasped in a firm handshake. "Take care of yourself, boss."

"Will do," Rick acknowledged with a node of his head.

He had no sooner released his grip on Max's hand when Miriya hugged him tightly. When he pulled away from the embrace he noticed the sympathetic look on her face.

"Go," Miriya motioned towards Roy.

Rick grinned at her before walking over to his wife and son. He placed a reassuring hand on Lisa's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze before kneeling down in front of his son.

Lisa wiped another set of fresh tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes and hugged Roy again. He heard her whisper softly into Roy's ear that she loved him as she squeezed him tightly. Finally, she ended the embrace and stood, leaving the two of them to say their goodbyes.

"Hey buddy," he started, placing a reassuring hand on his son's right shoulder. He felt a wave of guilt as Roy looked him dead in the eye with a sullen expression; he looked defeated. The kid knew what they were about to do, and knew just how dangerous it was. It was at a time like this that Rick inwardly cursed just how much of a genius his son was.

"I want to go with you," his son implored.

Rick grinned at his son's persistence. The kid didn't know when to quit.

"Listen, I know you do. But it's dangerous," he began; searching for a way to convince his son the arrangement was for the best. He studied the child for a moment, burning every feature into his memory. "You know it is, right?" he asked.

Roy stared back at him, sniffling back a few tears. Slowly, the boy began to shake his head up in down in agreement.

"And that's the reason we can't take you with us. We're not going to be able to protect you where we're going. And we're not going to put you in that kind of situation…not again." He explained, hoping it would be enough to convince his son.

The boy looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet. "Promise me, that you and Mom will come back." It was a demand instead of question.

Rick pulled his son into a tight hug and closed his eyes, feeling a few stray tears tug at the corner of his eyes. He breathed in deeply before finally releasing his son from the embrace. He held his son's gaze and placed both arms on top of his son's narrow shoulders. They both knew it wasn't something he could do.

"We'll be back before you know it. I promise," he lied. And with that he picked his son up and walked him over to his wife and friends. Lisa looked at him through red eyes and gave him a small smile.

"Well, we best be off," Lisa announced, leaning in to give Roy one last kiss on the cheek.

Rick handed Roy over to Miriya; she gladly accepted the young child into her arms and cradled him tightly. "We really appreciate this you guys, thank you," he told the Sterlings.

"No need to thank us. You two would do the same and you know it," Miriya explained, with Max echoing her sentiments. All Rick could do was smile back at them, glad to have friends like these to back him up.

He placed his arm around his wife's slender waist and pulled her towards the door. They both allowed themselves a quick look back to see Miriya comforting her godson before closing the apartment door. Once inside the elevator across the hall he pulled Lisa in for a comforting hug.

"Tell me we're doing the right thing," he whispered to her as the metal doors closed.

* * *

><p>Karen slid into the cushioned chair at the center of <em>Odyssey<em>'s bridge, surveying the ballet of coordinated chaos around her. She crossed her legs and leaned back against the seat, resting her arms against the supports provided by the comfortable chair. She studied her crew as they worked on their pre-flight preparations; readying the ship for her maiden voyage.

The thought was rather humorous, given that the ship's maiden voyage would be to another galaxy. Still, she was glad the day had finally come; after months of planning, organizing and training her patience had worn thin. She was ready, her crew was ready, and the ship was ready. Now all that was left to do was to get this thing in gear.

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Letting the breath out she opened her eyes. Turning to her left she studied her first officer as he stared intently at the displays of information on his console. He had his hand to the left earpiece of his headset, most likely listening to reports coming in from the various stations around the small scout ship.

The vessel itself was no more than 200 meters in length, spanning five decks in all. It had been designed to support a variety of mission sets, though Karen doubted anyone quite had the current mission in mind at the time. Still, the crew had been assured by Dr. Lang on numerous occasions that the fold drive was more than capable of performing the required jump to M31-A.

She had raised her concerns at the distance required for a one-shot space fold, and had even gone as far as proposing a series of jumps instead; first to the outer edges of the Milky Way, then a handful along a trajectory that would eventually land them inside Andromeda. Much to her surprise Admiral Hunter had left the decision ultimately up to her. Lisa had said it was Karen's ship, so it was her decision. While the Hunters were in command of the expedition, they had made it clear from the start that Karen was in command of the _Odyssey_.

"Lieutenant Elba, are we ready for departure?" she asked her first officer, leaning towards him to hear his response over the din of conversations taking place around the bridge.

Lt. Elba looked up from his station and slid the mouthpiece of his headset up on his face. "Engineering is good to go ma'am, jump drive is powered and ready for action. All other decks reporting personnel are in place and standing by."

"Excellent," she acknowledged, glad that everything was in order. Now all that remained was for final clearance from Overwatch Station. Turning away from Lt. Elba she adjusted so that she faced the back of her communications officer, Lt. Nora Woods. "Lieutenant Woods, notify Overwatch that we're ready for departure."

The mousy comms officer turned around at her station and nodded. "Yes ma'am," Lt. Woods acknowledged, turning back to her station.

"Lt. Elba, please inform the Admirals that we'll be pushing off soon," Karen instructed her first officer. She was pretty sure the Admirals were just as anxious as she was to get this show on the road. Lt. Elba nodded and snapped his mouthpiece back into place as he began the process of informing the Hunters that they would be departing any minute.

Karen waited in silence over the next several minutes, the anticipation of their impending jump settling over her, setting her nerves on edge. She knew the anxiety was due largely in part to their disastrous jump from Tirol; nothing like making a space fold only to end up in newspace to set your nerves on edge before a jump, she thought. She shook the unsettling memories away as her comms officer turned back around to face her.

"Major, control is reporting we are approved for departure," Lt. Woods informed her, the young girl bubbling with excitement.

"Alright," she nodded, and called out to her navigator, "Lt. Wynn, take us out." Lt. Wynn nodded at the request, and Karen turned her attention to the permaglass viewport that dominated the front wall of the bridge.

She watched the _Odyssey_ undock and begin to slowly back away from the large grey metallic hull of Overwatch Station. The ship backed away until they had safely cleared the space station's exterior. Karen watched as the scout ship turned, the space station moving out of sight, along with Tirol and Fantoma, and was replaced in the viewport by millions of stars. The scout ship quickly reached the minimum safe distance required for a hyperspace fold.

"Lt. Elba, patch me through to engineering please," Karen told her first officer, preferring to address her chief engineer directly.

"Yes ma'am," Lt. Elba responded, hitting several buttons on his console and giving her the thumbs up. Karen nodded and held down the communications button on the right arm support of her chair.

"Shaw, this is Penn," she called out, staring into the darkness of space through the viewport.

"Hello, Major," the British voice of the chief of engineering responded clearly through the speakers on the bridge. "What can I do for you, ma'am?"

"Well, I think a jump to Andromeda is in order, how about you?" she joked with the engineer. Emory Shaw had been the chief engineer aboard the _Versailles_, and was one of the more respected pseudojaunt drive technicians in the fleet. As far as she was concerned, his expertise with the newer drive generators on an expedition such as this was essential, and at her insistence the Hunters had pulled the necessary strings to bring him aboard.

"I think that can be arranged, ma'am," the engineer informed her.

"Good, Penn out," she told him, closing the comm channel. Karen punched a few more buttons on her chair and took a deep breath before opening the shipwide communications channel. "Attention, this is your captain speaking. All hands prepare for immediate hyperspace fold," her voice was strong and confident, betraying just how nervous she was.

_Well, here goes nothing. Sure as hell hope this drive gets us there in one piece_.

"Lieutenant Wynn, initiate our jump to Atlas on my mark." She took another deep breath, and then began her count. "Three...two...one...mark!"

* * *

><p>He kept his assault rifle trained straight ahead, using the scouting light attached to the weapon to see in the pitch black. He trained the weapon from side to side in an attempt to survey his surroundings as he steadily crept forward. He struggled to avoid the tunnel-vision caused by the yellowish cone of light, his nerves on edge as the blackness surrounded him; it felt like he was walking straight into the abyss.<p>

He kept a steady pace and soon reached the end of the corridor. The adjoining corridor was blocked by a heavy dark metallic security door; from the looks of it the door had sustained heavy fire. Scanning the edges of the door with his light he found no signs that the door could be moved, especially without any power. This wouldn't do, he needed to find an alternate route.

The sound of scrapping metal in the distance caused him to freeze. He immediately placed his back to the sealed door and flicked off his light. Dropping to one knee he strained to hear over his own labored breathing. Unable to see he closed his eyes and focused on listening for any sign that he wasn't alone. All he heard was silence, mixed with the occasional creaking from the structure around him.

Several minutes passed before he decided it was safe to continue. He flicked his scouting light back on and began searching the corridor again. Halfway back he caught sight of a service ladder heading down. It would have to do under the current circumstances. He moved to the ladder and leaned over the hole; the floor below was probably a good twenty feet down.

Slinging his weapon over his shoulder he began to carefully descend to the floor below. Nearing the bottom he thought his eyes might be playing tricks on him. There appeared to be some kind of light below, but that shouldn't be possible. Deciding to play it safe he stopped and reached back to flick his scouting light off once again.

There was definitely some kind of light source below, though it was relatively faint. He wondered if it was from some kind of natural source like a fungus, though he guessed given the dry environment it was highly unlikely. He was going to have to find out, one way or the other. Continuing his descent he readied himself for the worst. Finally reaching the floor below, he immediately dropped to one knee and readied his rifle in one fluid motion.

He felt his jaw drop open, unable to grasp what he was seeing.

"It can't be," he whispered, unaware that he had even spoken the words aloud.

The room was filled with what appeared to be fireflies. It took him a few moments to realize that they were bioluminescent spores coming from flowers growing at the center of the room.


End file.
